"Those products were created long ago, just for Ohio, due to its peculiar law that any alcoholic beverage below a certain proof (40 I believe, or 20% ABV) could be sold in grocery and drug stores, but alcoholic beverages above that proof could only be sold in state stores. The intention was to permit beer and wine to be sold more widely, but by writing it that way they opened the door for these "diluted" spirits products. By federal law, straight spirits like rum, whiskey, tequila and vodka have to be at least 80 proof or they have to be labeled "diluted."

Re: Ohio ... what the heck??

I am from Indiana. I seem to recall when I was younger that a lot of friends from high school would head over to Ohio for 3-2 beer. I believe that it referred to alcohol content, 3.2% I think the buying age was 18 in Ohio at the time but 21 in Indiana. I didn't have that problem since I have older brothers and sisters.

This past spring we went to Cincinnati to visit IKEA and Jungle Jim's. There is a state store adjacent to Jungle Jim's. The selection wasn't bad but it seemed that the prices were exactly $10 more than I would pay for the similar selection in Indiana. I assumed that this was due to a state tax. Oddly, I only noticed this on whiskey. Rums and other spirits seemed to be less expensive than in Indiana.

Re: Ohio ... what the heck??

Originally Posted by mbroo5880i

I am from Indiana. I seem to recall when I was younger that a lot of friends from high school would head over to Ohio for 3-2 beer. I believe that it referred to alcohol content, 3.2% I think the buying age was 18 in Ohio at the time but 21 in Indiana. I didn't have that problem since I have older brothers and sisters.

This past spring we went to Cincinnati to visit IKEA and Jungle Jim's. There is a state store adjacent to Jungle Jim's. The selection wasn't bad but it seemed that the prices were exactly $10 more than I would pay for the similar selection in Indiana. I assumed that this was due to a state tax. Oddly, I only noticed this on whiskey. Rums and other spirits seemed to be less expensive than in Indiana.

I lived my entire life in Michigan. In he late 60's we'd go to Ohio occasionally to get 3.2 beer. I had a friend who did an internship at Ferme. We spent a few nights in the Toledo bars. But we also could easily go Windsor for full service (not meant as a double entendre) in the bars. Back then it was much easier to cross the border.

Re: Ohio ... what the heck??

I grew up in Ohio during the 3.2 beer era and you could buy that, and only that, at age 18. This led to some odd situations. For example, a bar we frequented had a section in which the 18-21 year-olds had to remain. It was actually behind the stage where the bands played. People with 21+ hand stamps could go anywhere but we had to stay in our little pen and also an outdoor patio. Problem was, the older guys would come over to our area and poach our girls. Of course, when we turned 21 we did the same thing.

I attended college at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, which at the time was dry except for 3.2 beer. No 'pens,' since 3.2 beer was all they served. To get something stronger, if you were over 21, you had to go to College Corner, Indiana, the nearest 'wet' town. On Friday afternoon and early evening, the traffic between College Corner and Oxford was heavy and if you didn't have a car it was easy to hitch a ride, because everybody was going to the same place and coming right back.

The reality of 3.2 beer is that 3.2% alcohol was the legal maximum but the actual products were generally less than 3% alcohol, like today's ultra-lights. It was possible to get intoxicated, but it took persistence.

At the time, the legal drinking age for everything was 18, so trips to Chicago and New York were opportunities to drink like the big kids. I was still 17 when I made my first trip to New York and didn't have any trouble buying a drink anywhere. It was a different era. I was lucky in that I looked old enough. I bought my first beer during an Indians game at Cleveland Municipal Stadium when I was 15 or 16. I never had a fake ID.